


Parallels

by Mattagross



Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Genre: Bonding, Carol Lives AU, Carol Malus Dienheim needs a Hug, F/F, Fluff, Good Parent Figure Tachibana Hibiki, Panic Attacks, do not ask how it works because fuck if i know either tbh, no beta we die like the millaarc clones that tsubasa got really angry at in that one episode of XV, r/Symphogear Prompt Submission November 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:27:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27482698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mattagross/pseuds/Mattagross
Summary: She was a problem child, but one that they had taken in with open arms.
Relationships: (IMPLIED), Carol Malus Dienheim & Tachibana Hibiki, Kohinata Miku/Tachibana Hibiki
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	Parallels

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warnings:  
> Parental death (its Carol, duh)  
> Small panic attack towards the beginning
> 
> One of the prompts was 'children' and I find the Hibiki-Carol dynamic really, really good.
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

“Time to wake up~!”

A singsong voice echoed throughout the room as Hibiki stepped inside, the only light being what came with her through the open door. The blinds were closed, and the black curtains drawn shut, with the room in complete disarray otherwise.

Books were piled up in the corner; a computer and its chair were covered in clothing of all sorts; a bag was haphazardly tossed in the corner, its contents spilling onto the floor.

You’d be forgiven to think that the room had been completely abandoned. The only indication that it hadn’t been was the slightest rise and fall of the blanket on top of the already messy bed.

“Jeez… We really need to clean up here, you know. Maybe when we get home today.” Hibiki closed the distance between herself and the window, masterfully dodging the pile of clothes that _almost_ seemed deliberately placed to trip her.

_Or maybe it was put there on purpose… I can never tell when it comes to her._

Shaking her head of such thoughts, Hibiki reached in and opened the blinds, and then threw open the curtains. Light poured into the room, and a light layer of dust flew up from almost everything in the room.

From the bookshelf, to the nightstand, the drawers, the curtains themselves… But there was no time to muse on how much dust had acclimated in this room. _Someone_ was obviously still asleep, with the blanket drawn over their head.

“Hmmm… nice try…” Hibiki took the ends of the blanket into her hands, yanking the blanket off the bed and in the process exposing a small child to the light of the room.

“But you really do need to get up Carol.”

*****

A long, exasperated groan left Carol’s lips as the blanket was unceremoniously ripped from her tiny frame. Trying to feign sleep worked last week, but it seemed the idiot actually _did_ have a brain up there.

Funny. It was almost identical to how her relationship with her mother was… at least, as much of it as she could remember.

For the briefest of moments, she considered yanking it back from her “mother’s” grasp… just like she did with her actual mother…

…maybe—

_No_

But—

**_No_ **

She’s trying to be like mother—

_she is not mother mother is dead and gone and all I have is father but father is gone too and now all I have is the burning hatred that he left for her as his last wish i shouldn’t have listened i shouldn’t have listened **i shouldn’t have listened—**_

“Carol!”

Oh.

She must’ve started hyperventilating again.

“G-get away from me!” A feeble attempt at a kick found purchase with Hibiki’s jaw, not enough to _hurt_ but at least to make some distance.

The sad look in Hibiki’s eyes as she sat on the floor made Carol feel the _slightest_ pang of regret.

Regret that she quickly, efficiently stamped out when she remembered who she was staring at and why.

For a while, the two sat in an awkward silence as Hibiki rubbed the sore part of her jaw. Maybe that kick _did_ have a bit more bite behind it than she thought. Eventually, Hibiki slowly stood up, and walked over to Carol’s bed.

“May I?” She gestured to her bed, and after a moment’s hesitation, Carol begrudgingly nodded. Admittedly, the slight weight near the foot of the bed was… somewhat comforting, as was the now-familiar scent of shampoo that Hibiki liked to use.

“You know… I was a lot like you when I was a kid.” Hibiki started, staring at the distant wall. “I don’t think I told you about this yet… maybe now’s a good time.”

Taking a breath, Hibiki looked at her, that sad look having transformed into… melancholy. Recognition.

“When I was a kid, my dad just… walked out on us. It was after the Zwei Wing concert I told you about; apparently one of the people there was his boss’s kid. He… well, got fired. And he took that out on me, and eventually, he just… _left._ ”

Carol furrowed her brows – what did this…?

“It took a while, but mom decided to start seeing other people, once she got over the whole ‘He’ll come back!’ phase. And I supported her. I wanted her to be happy again.

“And then the men she was seeing tried to ram their way into _my_ life. That they were my new dad. And I hated it. I hated it so much that I tried to run away from home more than a few times; never got further than a block before my courage ran out. Eventually mom caught onto it and stopped seeing people altogether.”

While Hibiki paused for a breath, and failed miserably at covertly wiping her eyes, the pieces began to fall into place for Carol.

“…I know. I’m not your mother, or your father. And I never really will be. You can’t _replace_ people. I learned that one the hard way, just ask Tsubasa about all the dumb things I said.”

Giving Carol a small smile, Hibiki ruffled her hair.

“But me and Miku will raise you the best we can anyway, Carol, ‘cause you deserve it.”

At last, Hibiki stood from the foot of Carol’s bed, and began to make her way out of the room—

And promptly forgot about the pile of clothes that Carol had expertly planted to trip her.

The resounding **_THUMP_** accompanied by the “Owwww…” was the impetus that finally shook Carol out of her stupor. It still took a few brief moments, but eventually, she climbed out of her bed and walked over to the spot on the floor where Hibiki had fallen.

Looking down at her, Carol almost laughed.

“One of the strongest women in the world. Defeated by a pile of dirty laundry.” At that, her shell cracked oh so slightly, and she _did_ laugh.

And sure enough, that led to Hibiki giving an honest smile, and laughing herself.

The pair laughed, and at last, found their common ground.

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't noticed, my usual energy is.... Not Here.
> 
> Not for a lack of trying but I've had a bug and/or cold for the past week and its put a dampener on my literal everything, so I dunno when I'll get my next piece of writing out. Hopefully sooner rather than later but its been a resounding "fneh" the past week.
> 
> Anyway, as always you can find me @Mattagross on Twitter.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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